The New Jersey Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs are kind of becoming a pseudo rivalry. It really started in the 2022-23 season when Toronto was the opponent in what’s deemed “Chicken Finger Night,” when the referees overturned three goals and the fans responded with one of the most visceral responses we’ve ever seen in New Jersey.
That game ended a 13-game winning streak for the Devils, but it showed that team’s ability to respond.
There have been some great matchups since then, but the rivalry went up a notch last season after the Devils hired Sheldon Keefe to be their head coach. The Maple Leafs fired Keefe after he failed to get out of the first round again. Sure, it was Mitch Marner who lost contain on David Pastrnak in overtime of Game 7, but they couldn’t fire Marner.
So, when Keefe, who came into Toronto with so much hype, immediately took a job elsewhere in the NHL, Maple Leafs fans would always take an interest in his performance.
It didn’t go incredibly well for Keefe and the Devils last season. They did make the playoffs, but they went out with a whimper after about a dozen injuries made the matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes an impossible one. They put up a fight, but the Canes ended their rivals’ season in five games.
The Maple Leafs made it to the second round with new head coach Craig Berube after winning the Atlantic Division, but they lost in the second round to the eventual champion Florida Panthers.
On the way there, the Leafs won every single game against the Devils. They got rousingly crushed in their official home opener, which Keefe mentioned to Pucks and Pitchforks after this year’s home opener on Thursday. Then, they lost a game in December and a game in January, both in overtime.
This was especially heartbreaking for Keefe, who felt at the time he had a really good team. There were holes, for sure, but the Devils were playing very well. Losing that January game, knowing it would be his last chance to beat his former team, and that had to be frustrating.
He showed that frustration in the Toronto game, where the Maple Leafs actually started the game with a tribute video to their former coach. However, it was clear that what was most important to him was the win.
Sheldon Keefe storms off after #Leafs crank it up late & storm back to sweep season series. I like Keefer a lot but sorry, no sympathy. 🥲 @MapleLeafs @NHL #leafsforever #njdevils pic.twitter.com/D4htbgnUgU
— Rob Sinclair (@iamrobsinclair) January 17, 2025
That’s why Tuesday’s effort by the New Jersey Devils must have felt really good. There was never a point where the game felt in doubt. Even after the Maple Leafs took the lead into the first intermission and Anthony Stolarz was standing on his head for the other team, the Devils felt in control.
They dominated the second period, scoring four goals and taking a 4-2 lead into the third period. Jack Hughes was the star, initially tying the game up and scoring a hat trick on an empty netter to seal it. Brenden Dillon had a beautiful goal on a four-on-one opportunity, and Cody Glass had a power-play goal to extend the team’s lead.
When asked about the fact that Keefe just got his first win against Toronto in the postgame, both Jack Hughes and Sheldon Keefe didn’t seem to worry about it. Hughes didn’t realize it was his coach’s first win against his former team (which is a good thing since that shouldn’t be the focus for a team as good as this), and Keefe was pretty nonchalant considering how it went last season. In fact, it sounded like he cared much more about it last season than this one.
"We’re a year late for it meaning a whole lot… (Toronto is) a special place for me and it always will be. "Sheldon Keefe, Devils head coach
At the end of the day, it’s just another two points like the win against the Oilers and the Blue Jackets, but it feels like a nice monkey to get off the Devils’ backs. Imagine getting the “four in a row” hurdle and the “beating Toronto” hurdle handled just two weeks into the season.
This team might be looking at a good season. No reason to get ahead of ourselves here, but these are the types of wins that didn’t come last year. There were no holes. Everything was done for a reason. The Devils were relentless, and that’s how you win in this league.